Navy/Marine ROTCDrill TeamColor GuardNavy ROTC at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Since 1941, NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has run NROTC at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.
About this program
NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute sits inside Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as the campus's NROTC unit. NROTC has been on this campus since 1941. The mission is straightforward — produce U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps officers — and the cadre run a four-year curriculum to do exactly that.
Russell Sage College, Albany Medical College, University at Albany, and Siena College are the cross-town partner schools feeding NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. All ROTC-side curriculum runs at the host; partner-school students typically attend twice a week and full PT three to five mornings.
Midshipmen contract under Navy Option, Marine Option, or — at participating units — Navy Nurse Option, with full-tuition national scholarships available out of high school and side-load opportunities for college programmers. On the academic side, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute draws midshipmen into history and the humanities as well as engineering and physical sciences, and the cadre work directly with academic advising on time-conflict resolution between ROTC and major requirements.
Scholarships available here
Full tuition + select fees OR room and board up to $11,500/yr, plus $750/yr book stipend and a monthly stipend rising $250 (freshman) to $400 (senior). Uniforms and three summer training cruises included. SAT/ACT required (code 0565), Tier-1 STEM majors preferred. FY2027 application opened April 1, 2026; deadline January 31, 2027. 5-year active-duty obligation.
Service obligation: 5 years
Same NROTC national application (opened April 1, 2026; deadline January 31, 2027) with a Marine-specific fitness and board track. Single test sitting used (no superscore), code 0565. Covers full tuition or room & board up to $11,500/yr plus stipends. 4-year active-duty obligation after commissioning as a USMC second lieutenant.
Service obligation: 4 years
Cross-town & partner schools served
Students at these schools can commission through NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute by commuting to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Cross-enroll students take Naval Science courses at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Cross-enroll students take Naval Science courses at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Cross-enroll students take Naval Science courses at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Cross-enroll students take Naval Science courses at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Cross-enroll students take Naval Science courses at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Cross-enroll students take Naval Science courses at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Cross-enroll students take Naval Science courses at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Contact & location
Email: afrotc@rpi.edu
Phone: 518-276-6236
Site: https://nrotc.rpi.edu
Located at: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180-3590
Navy ROTC FAQ
Where is NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute located?
NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is hosted at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. The unit's training events, classes, and PT all run on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus.
Which colleges and universities can attend NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
In addition to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, students enrolled at Russell Sage College, Albany Medical College, University at Albany, Siena College, Hudson Valley Community College, Skidmore College, and Union College can contract through NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute via cross-town agreements. Cross-town midshipmen keep their primary academics at the partner school and travel to the host for ROTC-side coursework.
What scholarships are available through NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
NROTC midshipmen at this unit compete for NROTC Navy Option (4-year), NROTC Marine Option, NROTC Nurse Option (where offered). National awards apply out of high school; on-campus side-loads kick in once a cadet is enrolled and contracted.
What's the NROTC summer training for midshipmen at NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Each summer carries a different block: CORTRAMID after 4/C year, an enlisted-side fleet cruise after 3/C, and a junior-officer cruise after 2/C — Marine-Option mids ride MOUI and OCS-style training instead.
How big is the corps at NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Public corps-size figures aren't always published year-to-year; NROTC units in this size class generally carry between several dozen and a few hundred contracted midshipmen depending on host enrollment.
What's the commissioning path through NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Midshipmen who complete the four-year NROTC curriculum and meet medical, fitness, and academic standards commission as officers in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The unit reports through Naval Service Training Command.
Can students at other schools join NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Yes — NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute accepts cross-town and partner students from 7 other institutions, including Russell Sage College, Hudson Valley Community College, Siena College, Albany Medical College. See the cross-town options for distance and enrollment paths.
Can I commission through NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as any major?
Navy programs accept students from most academic majors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Some scholarships and commissioning options (e.g., nursing, engineering, foreign-language) carry major requirements — confirm with the unit before declaring.
Interested in NROTC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
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